Earns doctorate, joins staff at Johnson and Johnson

Rebecca L. Frey-Cooper, formerly of Lehighton, has earned the degree of doctor of philosophy (Ph.D) in chemistry at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. Dr. Frey-Cooper has accepted a post doctoral process chemist position with Johnson and Johnson in Athens, Ga. Johnson and Johnson is a leading manufacturer of prescription pharmaceuticals and Frey-Cooper will be on the leading edge of that effort.

Dr. Frey-Cooper is the daughter of Randy and Lory Frey of Lehighton, and a graduate of Lehighton Area High School. She and her husband Chris will be relocating to Athens.

She received her Ph.D. in analytical chemistry under the guidance of Professor John L. Ferry. Her research focused on the fate and transport of organic chemicals in the environment, photochemically driven oxidation, trace organic analysis, applications of analytical chromatography and techniques, and modeling of emerging contaminants in the environment. She has published eight papers in peer-reviewed journals including the high impact literature from Chemical Reviews, Nature Nanotechnology and Environmental Science and Technology.

Dr. Frey-Cooper received her B.S. in 2005 with a triple major in chemistry, neuroscience and psychology from King's College in Wilkes-Barre. She began her career at University of South Carolina as a teaching and research assistant and a collaborative relationship with the federal agency, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), which focused on the transport of nanoparticles in the environment.

During her graduate studies, she was awarded the Copenhaver Scholarship 2006, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Women Chemists Committee Travel award in 2008, and the James R. Durig Travel award in 2009 to present her work at national meetings.